Tours & Attractions
Great news for relaxation seekers: the hot springs at Grover State Park have reopened—indulge in soothing warmth surrounded by nature’s beauty. More information is on the website, here.
We are pleased to welcome visitors back to the park for camping, hiking, and picnicking. Crews accomplished a tremendous amount of work felling and removing hazard trees along the trails and resurfacing the State Park portion of the Burnside Lake Trail (commonly called the waterfall trail). Please keep in mind that hazards still exist in recently burned areas, especially once you pass beyond the park boundaries, including hazard trees, unstable ground, and flooding. Day use hours are sunrise – sunset, and parking is $8.00. There are no camping reservations at this time; sites are first-come-first-serve with a 14 night limit. Campsites are $25 per night for winter campground and $8 for extra vehicles. Scroll down for additional camping details.
Grover Hot Springs State Park is located on the east side of the Sierra at the edge of the Great Basin Province, characterized by open pine forest, and sagebrush and meadows. The park has a pool complex with a hot pool and a swimming pool hot springs, a campground, picnic area and hiking trails.
A full range of seasons and weather offer the visitor the opportunity to experience a variety of conditions, from major blizzards to dry scorchers, from warm clear nights to intense, blasting thunderstorms. Winds of great speeds are capable of whipping through the park causing damage during any month of the year. Pristine clear, warm days can be followed by cold stormy nights.
Proper preparation for the full range of potential conditions can make a visit to the park not only safe and warm but also dry and comfortable.
Grover Hot Springs State Park. Open year-round. Pools closed on Wednesdays in the off-season. Call for current operating hours. Closed Thanksgiving & Christmas day. No smoking inside the pool complex.
Location/Directions
Located four miles west of Markleeville, at the end of Hot Springs Road, the park is in an alpine meadow and pine forest at 5,900 feet surrounded by peaks that just top 10,000 feet.
Why are the Hot Springs Green?
The main reason for the color is the mineral deposits on the bottom of the pool. These mineral deposits are laid down on the surface of the paint by an oxidation reaction between the mineral salts in the water and the sanitizing agent (Bromine) used.
When the pool is viewed from some distance, rather than from directly overhead, the light that is reflected from the bottom loses certain wavelengths that are absorbed by the various color patterns on the bottom. The remaining light waves then pass back up through the water and are reflected at the surface. This reflected light is in the yellow-green wavelengths of the spectrum.
Hot Spring Pool Rules
In order to provide for a safe and enjoyable experience for our visitors at the hot springs pools these common rules are if effect:
— No running or diving.
— No smoking, including e-cigarettes (“vaping”), inside the pool complex.
— No food or beverages, other than plain water allowed inside facility.
— Swimwear or cutoffs are required (no underwear, street clothes or nudity).
— Children under 12 yrs. old must be accompanied by an adult. Groups of children under 16 years of age must have at least one adult supervisor per 5 children.
— No person shall play loud or rough games and/or use radios or tape/CD players with external speakers.
— For safety reasons, flotation toys, such as water wings, are not permitted.
— Children ages 6 and under may wear a properly fitting United States Coast Guard approved Type II or Type III life jacket, under the immediate supervision of an adult.
— If there is a waiting line to enter pools:
— Holding places in line is not permitted.
— Line cutting is not permitted.
— All members of your group must wait in line.
— If you leave the line, you must re-enter at the back of the line.
When are the Hot Springs Closed?
The pool complex is generally open every day from June through August. From September through May the pool hours and days of operation vary. Please call ahead for current operating hours (530) 694-2249 – this may save you an unnecessary trip.
The pools are closed for facility and pool maintenance during two weeks in September each year. Please call the park for closure dates.
The pool complex is also closed for Thanksgiving day and Christmas day.
Closed on Wednesdays in the off-season. Call for current operating hours.
Finally the pools must close during nearby thunderstorms due to the possibility of lightning striking the water. Thunderstorms usually occur during the afternoon hours in the summer months of July and August. If thunderstorms are predicted by the National Weather Service for the Northern Sierra Nevada, then Grover may be affected.
During the winter, when snow is covering the ground, the pool complex will usually remain open. It may be closed during severe snow storms and high accumulations of snow on the roads. The roads are generally plowed during the winter, but always carry snow chains and a shovel when traveling in the Sierras during the winter. Contact a weather service and Caltrans for conditions before departing.
Grover Hot Springs State Park
3415 Hot Springs Rd., Markleeville, CA 96120
